The Generic Framing Procedure (GFP) is a communication standard that defines a procedure for encapsulating and delineating variable-length payloads from received data message for transporting the data messages over a synchronous optical communication network (SONET). Systems implementing the GFP communication standard, however, do not validate that a communication link has been established between first and second computers prior to sending data frames between the first and second computers. Accordingly, when the first computer initially transmits a data frame through the SONET communication network to a second computer and the second computer is not operable or not ready to receive the data frame, the data frame is not received and stored by the second computer.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and a method for initializing a communication link through a synchronous optical communication network by validating that a downstream computer is ready to receive a data stream.